• Have "Brown Bag Sessions" with your primary doctor and keep a drug worksheet. Whenever you go to a doctor for the first time, or even if you have never done so with your regular doctor, put all prescription and over-the-counter drugs you are using, have used in the past month, or likely to use, in a bag, and bring them with you. Include herbal supplements. Once the two of you have gone through your bag and confirmed what you are taking, ask your doctor to fill out a drug worksheet. This should show the name of the drug, the dosage and how frequently you should take the drug. Your doctor should never prescribe or renew a prescription, nor should you be willing to get a prescription, without up-to-date knowledge of all the drugs you are already taking or likely to take. 
• Take your drug worksheet with you whenever you have a prescription filled. Although most pharmacies have computer programs that alert the pharmacist of the risk of adverse drug reactions, unless the pharmacist has a complete list of the drugs you are taking, the system may fail. This is really is a problem if you have purchased your medications at different pharmacies. 
• Know when to contact your doctor. If you have a new symptom after starting a new prescription, contact your doctor. Here's a partial list of drug side effects: 
• Mental: depression, hallucinations, confusion, delirium, memory loss, impaired thinking and insomnia 
• Nervous system: tremors, dizziness on standing, falls (which can sometimes result in hip fractures), automobile accidents because of sedation, sexual dysfunction 
• Gastrointestinal: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bleeding, constipation, and diarrhea 
• Urinary tract: difficulty urinating or loss of bladder control 
• Allergic: rash, itching, swelling, hives, fever, difficulty breathing, drop in blood pressure, pallor, fast pulse, potential loss of consciousness, and cardiovascular collapse 
• Make sure the treatment is not worse than the disease. If you have an adverse drug reaction, ask if you really need the drug, and if you do, whether a safer drug or dosage can be substituted. Non drug therapies might be preferable for some conditions. For example, weight loss and exercise may be preferable for controlling high blood pressure, and increasing fiber and liquid in the diet preferable to laxatives.

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